Device for protecting the members of a court assembly.



09. SAFES, BANK PROTECTION AND RELATED DEVICES.

H. JX. DEVICE FOR PROTECTING THE MEMB I ZRS OF A COURT ASSEMBLY. 1

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11 1910. 1,016,164. Patented Jan. 30, 191.2.

cnLuMalA PLANOGIZAPH 60.. WASHINGTON n. c.

109. SAFES, BANK PROTECTION AND RELATED DEVICES.

man way-mun RUDOLF LUX, OF W'il'NSOI-IELBURG, GERMANY.

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING THE MEMBERS OF A COURT ASSEMBLY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

Application filed March 11, 1910. Serial No. 548,755.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUDoLF LUX, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of the town of Wiinschelburg, in Silesia, in the German Empire, have invented a Device for Protecting the Members of a Court Assembly, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a device for the protection of the members of a court assembly against attempts upon their lives, such attempts being of frequent occurrence at the giving of verdicts.

The invention consists in the provision of a bullet-proof plate which is hingedly connected to the head piece of the court table and which, while being normally maintained in horizontal position, is actuated by a spring so as to be raised into vertical, protecting position as soon as released, such releasing being effected by the actuating knobs arranged in various places around the table.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 representing a plan of the table and the protecting arrangement, Fig. 2, a partial section along line AA of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, a partial section along line B-B of Fig. 2.

To the back side of the head piece I) of a court table a, a bullet-proof plate 0 is hingedly connected. A bracket d on the underside of said plate is pivotally connected to a rod f which is slidably guided in the head piece I) and encircled by a helical spring 6, the latter abutting against a collar on the rod and tending to raise the rod for bringing the plate 0 into vertical position, as shown dotted in Fig. 3. The plate 0 is nor mally maintained in horizontal position by means of a pivoted catch 9 engaging a bent finger h on the underside of the plate. The catch 9 is of bell-crank-shape and can be actuated by means of a cord 70 so as to release the plate. This cord is guided by means of sheaves under the table top and branched off to the various seats of the table where the branches are connected to actuating knobs 2'. It is thus possible for any of the persons seated around the table to release the protecting plate which, as soon as released, assumes a vertical, protecting position. The rod 7 is also provided with pivoted spring-actuated detents Z the ends of which slide in grooves m in vertical members of the head piece b and snap into recesses m so as to secure the plate 0 in raised position.

If the plate 0 should need to be very long, it may be necessary to provide additional springs of suitable construct-ion to aid in the raising of the plate and in supporting it in protecting position.

The plate 0 may be made of wood and lined on the top side with an armor plate of iron or steel of suitable thickness. Also the front wall of the head piece I) may be protected by an armor plate.

I claim:

A device for protecting the members of a court assembly against assassination, comprising a bullet-proof plate hingedly connected to the head of the court table, a slidable vertical rod pivoted to the plate, a helical spring on the rod tending to raise the latter and to turn the plate into vertical, protecting position, a pivoted catch for retaining the plate in horizontal position, a branched cord for operating said catch so as to release the plate, and actuating knobs arranged at the various seats and connected to branches of said cord so that the protecting plate can be released by any of the persons ieated around the table, substantially as set orth.

RUDOLF LUX.

Witnesses STANISLAUS FELLMANN, WILHELM WOLFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

